Food and Shelter and Hope
by Rosazul66
Summary: Each year, after the anniversary of their coronation, the Four would disappear. They would leave no trace but a letter to calm Oreius nerves, and then, each would go alone on separated roads... Golden Age. Now betaed!
1. Cair Paravel

**A/N:** Hello again! I am happy to tell you all that this story has been betaed and revised by **Narnian-starkid**. Thank you for your advice and patience!

By the way, dear Guest, you are right: Peter would have probably wrote the letter, but I feel like this 'adventure' was Lucy's idea (She would be the most in sync with the Narnians). Therefore, she arranged everything, including a letter for Oreius.

And thanks to all who have reviewed/favorited/followed this story! You keep me doing what I like, you encourage me and you inspire me. May you be blessed by the Lion, and walk between His paws! ; )

Cair Paravel, 1003

It was a very early morning approximately three years and one day in the reign of the Four. In the beautiful castle of Cair Paravel, on the Eastern Shores of Narnia, the youngest of the queens was sliding through the castle, slowly working her way to the maid's quarters in the Royal Wing.

Queen Lucy came to a halt beside the bed of a dryad (which was made out of leaves and twisted branches for maximum comfort). The dryad, one of her Ladies-in-Waiting, was still slumbering peacefully under the covers, so Lucy bent down and shook her slightly to wake her up. The dryad immediately sat, eyes wide and about to give a loud screech, but the Queen pressed her little hand to the mouth of the dryad, murmuring "hush, Lyli", as the dryad met her gaze.

When Lyli recognized her mistress, she calmed down and nodded, acknowledging Lucy's presence. At this, Lucy removed her hand and allowed her friend to speak.

"What can I do for you, Queen Lucy?" Lyli asked.

"My good friend" replied Lucy, her cheerful voice barely a whisper, "when the Sun comes up and the clock marks the first ten hours of the day, hand this letter to Captain Oreius on my behalf. If anyone inquires, you found this on my desk. You haven't seen me today. Would you do that for me, please?"

Despite the strange request, Lyli nodded as Lucy handed her the letter with the centaur general's name written delicately on the front.

"Of course I can do that, my queen. May I enquire as to what is going on?"

Lucy smiled.

"No, Lyli, I'm afraid I cannot tell you. Everything is alright, I assure you, but please just make sure that the General receives this letter." Seeing Lyli's tired expression, despite her desperate attempts to appear wide awake, she smiled wider. "You can go back to sleep now."

"As you wish, my..."

Lucy - who hated the formalities of her title - smiled broadly as the dryad drifted off in the middle of her sentence. Once she was sure that Lyli was completely asleep, she stood and tiptoed quickly out of her quarters to fetch her things and gather with her siblings.

ΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦ

 _Dear Oreius,_

 _I pray that you do not fret over the 'sudden disappearance' of my siblings and I: we are fine and attending to personal issues. I shall ask you for secrecy: do not send any search parties, for it is our wish not to be found. If you already have engaged search parties, we would ask you to please cancel the searching and request that they return to Cair Paravel. Aslan willing, we should return before the rising of the sun in tomorrow's dawn._

 _Thank you, my good friend._

 _Q. Lucy._

ΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦΟΘΦ

Upon reading the letter from Lucy, Oreius was a bit - surprisingly no more than a bit - angry at his sovereigns and Queen Lucy's lady-in-waiting, Lady Lily, because she hadn't shown him this letter until that moment. To the General's great distress, none of the sovereigns had been seen all day; the guards didn't see them leaving, nor did the pages, maids, servants, ladies-in-waiting... there had been no trace οf them, save this letter.

But he obeyed, cancelling the many search parties he had organized (He was about to send them out!), silencing any rumor with his calm stance and sending ten prayers to the Lion for the welfare of the Kings and Queens.

That was the first time High King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund and Queen Lucy disappeared, but it wasn't the last: Each year, after the anniversary of their coronation, the Four would disappear. They would leave no trace but a letter to calm Oreius' nerves, and - unbeknownst to anyone but the sovereigns themselves, each would go off alone on separate roads.


	2. Northern Marshwiggles

Peter, High King of Narnia (among many other titles) was walking alone at the southerly edge of the North of Narnia. He was dressed in several layers of wool rustic clothing, worn leather boots, and nothing on his head. His face was as filthy as his clothes, but there was a smile on the young boy who, at the moment, looked like nothing more.

He spotted a Marshwiggle, who was trying to rebuild his house. The Marshwiggle was tall and slender. His long, long arms didn't seem strong enough to wield the hammer he was, indeed, wielding. His greenish skin offered little contrast; it almost camouflaged the Marshwiggle in this cold environment.

"My friend, would you partake in your lunch with me if I help you build your house?" Peter greeted, offering a friendly smile. The Marshwiggle glanced up, a typical gloomy expression on his face.

"I would, but the food might be poisoned and this house will be torn apart the next year by some natural force, or a giant might pass by and reduce it to pieces, probably with me indoors." he moaned, eyes dull and sad.

Peter walked over and put a hand on the Marshwiggle's shoulder, keeping his smile firmly in place.

"I'd still like to help you. One shouldn't be stuck in this climate with no shelter to protect them" Said Peter

"Very well then. I suppose I should introduce myself, right? I'm Tom" Peter was very much surprised when the Marshwiggle held out his hand for Peter to shake. True, the Pevensies had made it a costum in Cair Paravel to shake hands in introductions, but Peter didn't know that costum was so widely spread.

"My name is Paul" Replied Peter. For him, it was difficult to lye, but he had to because, seriously, which self-respecting disguised king would give out his true name?

Both the boy and the Marshwiggle struggled for hours to build the house, and when they were done, they put their tools on a large table. Then, they seated to have some rabbit stew.

"Tell me, Tom, how was your house torn apart?" Peter asked as he stirred his stew. The steam rising form his plate was watering his mouth, and whit the first bit of the intense yet delicate stew Peter got, he felt the warmth run through his body.

"You know, Paul, the usual -freezing temperatures, humid air- in less than a day, my house was a massive mess. The rotten wood was very weak, the roof was getting to heavy for the walls and the house itself was sinking. It wouldn't stand another giant attacking"

Peter nodded, understanding. Feeling sorry for the Marshwiggle, he offered an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry for your troubles, Tom. Did you have children, or a wife?"

Tom the Marshwiggle nodded sadly.

"Yes, but they are gone now, and they might never come back - not that I care, with this house, my wife will weep until she dries and my kids will be saddened to death" his voice got particularly gloomy at the last statement.

Peter considered the Marshwiggle's words for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Do you really think so, my good Tom? You Marshwiggles do tend to exaggerate about things a wee bit sometimes". Said Peter hesitatingly

"Yes, we do it a lot (not a 'wee bit', really) thus we always get something better than what we expected and our praise of the Lion may be greater. Even so, no Marshwiggle would ever expect the death of his family -they are just too precious. I am truly afraid of my family's fate, but I trust the Lion -He shall provide food and shelter and hope." The Marshwiggle said melancholically. This time, however, he looked genuinely sad: His gaze in the distance, the tone low but full of _faith_ , a small smile on his dry lips.

"That I don't doubt, my friend. Let's have this drink for the Lion!" Peter replied as he raised his glass of sparkling Northern beer. Peter took great care not to drink too much: He was very fond on this special beer. And he had a loose tongue when he was drunk.

After the dinner had ended, 'Paul' stayed for the night. That night, when the Marshwiggle was sleeping, Peter purposely left a bag with one hundred golden coins for Tom. But the greater surprise for the Marshwiggle came when he awoke the following morning to see his wife and children at his side, smiling at the sight of the breakfast prepared for them.


	3. Southern Faun

A new nurse appeared in the Southern Narnia's Hospital. Her raven hair was tightly braided and her green eyes were merry. Her hands were _gentle_ as she tended the wounds of a Hound, and even gentler as she assisted in the delivery of a pregnant faun.

"There she is! Looks like she will be like her mom!" Said this new nurse. She was dressed in not-so-neat white clothes and reddish latex gloves.

"Thanks, Lady- Oh, excuse me, but I think we haven't been presented. I am Dalila" Said the faun

"I am the nurse Shae"

As she lay the little baby faun in the arms of her mother, the young faun mother started weeping and laughing at the same time.

"May I ask what is wrong, Lady Dalila?" Asked ´Shae', who was, of course, the Gentle Queen in disguise.

"It's nothing, really, Nurse Shea, but…" Dalila paused. She could feel tears forming in her eyes as she gasped for air in an attempt to hide a sob. Worry covered her features as wariness comes to a warrior when the battle is over, and the adrenaline, too, is over. She sighted "I don't know what I will do to feed my child, now that my husband is away, and might be fighting in battle, or…" She stopped. She would not mentioned the one possibility that hunted her in her sleep, the one that turned her dreams into nightmares.

"Don't you believe he will come back?" Asked Susan in a low voice.

"I hope so, my friend. But the realities of battle are too real to ignore the possibility that he may not return." She glanced at the distance as memories filled her mind.

 _How happy was Steve when she told him about the baby! He had placed a warm hand on her stomach, still flat on her third month of pregnancy, and whispered "I swear to you, my Little Angel, that I_ _will_ _return, if Aslan wills it"._

For a few moments, there was silence. You would only hear the far noise of footsteps on the adjacent corridor. Then, Shae broke the silence whit a murmured question. Her own eyes were watery, her lips trembling as the soft words left her mouth "Don't you have family who may take care of you?"

"Nay, they can't. They all have a family to feed and duties to see to. What can I do to provide for my daughter? She, who is so innocent, so pure." Dalila stopped, looking troubled and philosophical, "should she be the one to bear the weight of the poverty that will condemn us?"

"But surely, there must be something you can do!" Insisted 'Shae'.

"If there was something I could do, I would love to hear about it, because right now I'm too weak to work. But in the meantime, the only thing I can cling to is my faith in Aslan: His ways are mysterious, but they are always good. Any problems we may face, He will be there to help us through."

"And your mate? Can't he help?"

"He is away, in the army. They have been problems with the Ettins at the North, so he remained at an outpost in that frontier."

"When do you think your husband will get back?" Susan inquired gently. She schooled her face to show attention and compassion, but she felt how a smile threatened to appear. She couldn't help smiling when anticipating the joy this lady will have.

"Whenever Aslan thinks it fit. But while my husband is away, the Lion will be a husband to me and a father to my daughter; He will provide us with food and shelter and hope."

The nurse and the mother locked their eyes, until the former said "I'm sure that, for your strong faith in Aslan, you will find all you pray for."

A tear was starting to form in the eyes of the faun, enlarging her light brown eyes, but it was quickly forgotten when the baby faun started to cry.

When Dalila reached her house, one week later, she spread out her bag and found a little leather bag filled with emeralds, sapphires and a pair of diamonds. The bag had a tiny paper attached, which said. "This is for you, Dalila".

This gift, nonetheless, was nothing when she saw the ginger-brownish faun who was coming to the town. His fur resembled her daughter's own fur to perfection. Her husband looked tired and weary, but happy. And as he saw his wife, he summoned the last of his energy to run the last few meters to his home.

Less than a week later, Dalila returned to the hospital to thank Shae (and to tell the nurse of her secret benefactor), but she couldn't find her. In fact, nobody knew where was she from, nor where she went to.


	4. Western Wolf

The Wooden Fortress, in the Western Forests, was wide and sturdy. Down under the ground were the dungeons, where King Edmund was patrolling, dressed as a guard on duty would dress: in simple black trousers, black shirt and black boots, with a lamp in his hand and his head bare. However, Edmund seem to be the only guard patrolling the dungeons.

There was also a gray wolf, far older than the guard. The wolf was half asleep when the boy approached, but when he stopped next to his cell, the wolf turned out his head.

"Hello" said the boy.

"Good evening" replied the wolf.

"May I accompany for the nighttime? I'm alone on this watch."

"I guess it would be nice to have company this night." The Wolf stretched, looking rather uninterested.

"Then I should introduce myself: I am Edward."

"Call me Sean" Replied the Wolf

The boy continued:

"And why are you here, Mister Sean?"

"I'm accused of treason, a treason I can't deny."

"Really? May I ask how?"

"Most of the guard here would tell you, I'm fairly sure"

"No one is here right now" Said, matter-of-factly, the dark-haired 'guard'.

"When the White Witch came, my family was left unprotected. I stayed in her army to protect my family. Nobody really liked her, but we did what was necessary to survive." The wolf had said that slightly angered, nut maybe it was more passion than anger. He was determined to protect his family no matter what. But he calmed, and proceeded "We were defeated eventually and I was imprisoned, condemned to be here forever."

"Do you regret your decision?" Inquired the guard, his head sparsely tilted to the left.

The wolf sighted. "With all my heart, mind and soul. Every day, when I see the scratches on my body, I regret my decision, for they are not evidence of courage but of betrayal." Then he repeated, like justifying himself: "I _had_ to protect my family"

"Do you have a family, Master Wolf?" Asked 'Edward' leaning forward so he was very close to the Wolf's cell.

"I don't know if they are even alive; I can only hope that the Lion will provide them with food and shelter and hope." The wolf stretched again, and the he scratched behind his left ear. He yawned, but a terrible sadness covered his voice as he added, "There's nothing more I can do".

"If you receive a second chance, what would you do?" The murmur of such word would not have been registered by the Wolf had he not been a Wolf with a great hearing. But as he did registered those words, he was startled. Startled and utterly speechless. No one had ever asked him that, and he had never dared to think of an impossible life.

"Try a more honorable life, protect my family and trust Aslan to help me in that duty. But that second chance is barely a dream, isn't it?" He asked without a hint of hope in his voice.

There was a comfortable silence, until the boy spoke.

"Do you know, Sean, I believe _even traitors can mend_ : and I think you will have a second chance"

The guard took his jingling keys, inserted them in the small bolt of the door and opened the cell, while the Wolf was trying to keep his jaw off of the ground. And so, the guard said:

"Go home, Master Sean; go to your family house; no one would ever imagine you went there."

Thinking this could be a trap, Sean growled. "I'd better not, because another guard might see me, and I will be killed and you will be imprisoned."

"Don't worry, friend. I am the only guard on this watch. Walk between the paws of the Lion and be wise; enjoy your life and this second chance." Said the guard. But then, a bit of urgency entered in his tone "Go!"

The Wolf thanked the boy three times and then he ran away, not even once turning to see the high fort that vanished on the horizon. He reached the deepest part of the Western Marsh, one full of Trees and Dryads and many small Talking Animals, where the Witch's army and his own house once stood. The army of the Witch was gone, but his house was still there, with its lights on.

He pawed the wooden door softly and was received by his daughter and her four black and white pups, a big piece of stag meat and a merry howled song. He also found, tied to the latch of the door, a little bag with one hundred silver coins.


	5. Eastern Osprey

There was a girl, whose curly hair was blonde and loose. She was smiling, happily walking through the Tropical Forests towards the shore of the glistening Eastern Sea, which she commanded, but no one around at that moment was aware of her rank as Queen of Narnia. In the middle of her journey, she found a wounded Osprey.

"Oh, poor Osprey! What happened to you?" Asked Lucy, gently, as she approached the Osprey.

"I was injured on a cliff, when trying to catch a fish. My wing is sore and I can't get to the healer or my home, because both are far away." Said the Osprey in a defeated tone. The Osprey was perched on a low branch on a young tree. Her yellow eyes looked immensely sorry. Queen Lucy knew what was in the Osprey's eyes. It was a lack of hope; a lack of _faith_.

"Do you have family, my friend?"

"Just my mother, who is alone, and she can't hunt any longer. Oh, what will I do? I need to provide her with food and shelter and _hope_. _Who will if I don't_?"

A light scowl appeared on the face of the youth as she asked the name of the Osprey.

"Oh, young lady, please call me Haifa. I'm from the Eastern Forests. How are you called?

"I- I am" Lucy stopped for a second, panic in her as she realized she hadn't prepared a false name to give during her adventure. She had arranged everything for her siblings and herself but she had forgot to prepare her own false name? Well, she loved improvisation, right? "I am Luisa". Thankfully for Lucy, the Osprey was too busy worrying to notice her hesitation with her own name.

"What to do, what to do?" Repeated the Osprey, again and again.

"And don't you believe, my dear Haifa, that Aslan, the Divine Lion, will offer your mother food and shelter and hope?" Oh, Lucy really hated faithlessness. She smothered her light purple dress to distract herself because, of course, she couldn't lecture a stranger who needed her help.

"No, dear Luisa. The Lion provides our country with freedom and spring, yes, but He has so much to do; He won't care for a poor widow without food, nor for her daughter."

"But, isn't He the Lion, the true Savior of our commonwealth, the one that brings Spring, peace and love? Of course He will care for you and for your mother! Tell me, aren't you alive?"

"Well, yes, yes I am, but I am hurt." If Ospreys could pout, Lucy was pretty sure Haifa would have pouted.

"But you are alive! Do not lose hope, my friend, do not lose faith - because when you lose your faith, everything is lost. Tell me, is the Lion your Master?" She asked cheerfully. Lucy was usually cheerful, but this situation demanded her to be extra faithful. She closed her hazelnut eyes in silent prayer. _Aslan, help me make her see reason; help me to give her hope, so you can give her food and shelter!_

"Yes, He is."

"Then He will provide you and your mother with food, and shelter, and hope and joy, with Spring and peace, freedom and love. He will forever be with you, even if you are far away. He will always be by your side, even if you are alone. Have faith, my friend, because He will be there for you." Lucy smiled, then extended her hand to caress the Osprey's back. If she didn't give her a drop of her cordial, she feared Haifa would never be able to fly again. Lucy grimaced, but again, the Osprey was oblivious to this.

"Your words are the most beautiful thing I have herd in so much time! They have healed my soul, if not my body." Exclaimed the Osprey, flapping her good wing in gratefulness.

Taking advantage of the forever-distractedness of Haifa, Lucy put a drop of the Fireflower juice in her pitcher of water.

"Take this, deer Haifa, you need the water. That's it! Is your thirst satisfied?"

"It is, thank you. I think I have never drank sweeter water!"

"I would gladly give you more, but I have nothing left." Lucy shrugged. Then she smiled, her freckles revealing her young age.

"Your generosity is more than enough, and I must thank you for your kind words." The Osprey tilted her head a bit, and asked conversationally "You know, I think you are around the age of Queen Lucy. Is blonde hair a common feature in humans?"

"No, I don't know" She stopped, balancing herself a little then smiling nervously. In no much more time, her cordial would make effect. She needed to keep her disguise. "You are welcome, my dear Haifa, but I must go forth. I will send a healer to you, please hold on." Then Lucy left stealthily, and once she was far enough to not be heard, she ran to the beach with a huge smile on her tender face.

The Osprey, however, was too busy feeling much better to notice 'Luisa's' farewell- so much better, that when the healer joined her, she was not wounded anymore: it was nothing less than a miracle. Her body was healthy and as renewed as her heart, because the appearance of the girl had healed her faith.

She glanced downwind at the place where the girl had been. There, on the ground, was one little, golden coin, with only one sentence engraved:

"Aslan is always with us"

* * *

A/N: Let me know what you think, please!


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